Robin Hood

Published July 12, 2019

Film info

Title Robin Hood

Director Otto Bathurst

Year 2018

Run time 1hr 56m

Genres Thriller, Adventure, Action

Tagline The legend you know. The story you don't.

Filled with thrilling battle sequences, mind-blowing fight choreography, and epic adventure, Robin Hood is an action-packed retelling of the classic legend. Returning home from the Crusades, Robin of Loxley (Taron Egerton) finds his country oppressed by the evil Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Mendelsohn). With the help of Moorish warrior Little John (Jamie Foxx), Robin transforms into the heroic outlaw Robin Hood, taking up arms to fight the sheriff and win the heart of his love, Maid Marian (Eve Hewson).

Live blog

Time

Comment

2:15

She’s so Irish! Bless her.

3:58

“Forget what you’ve seen before.” I will not. Kevin Costner for the win.

11:22

Love a film where he actually grabs at arrows rather than producing them from nowhere.

15:31

It’s more violent than I was expecting. Interesting though.

21:00

Much of this film so far has been Taron storming around looking angsty.

23:29

Tale as old as time, and also still ongoing even now.

23:50

“You’re only powerless if you believe you’re powerless.”

30:57

OMG, the way he said ‘Nobody’s perfect’ was so Bristol! Was he channelling Eddie the Eagle?

32:42

TRAINING MONTAGE!

42:13

Wasn’t sure about Tim Minchin but it kinda works. Not the accent though.

51:56

Mmm, counting money.

56:07

“He’s got our commoners looking up and seeing hope.”

1:01:09

Oh no! Robin v Guy part 2.

1:10:17

It makes NO SENSE. Take all their money now, that’s it. Give them thriving businesses, you have taxes forever.

1:15:06

No horse would run at a wall, let alone through it.

1:18:35

Ooh, he’s gone full Tomb Raider on the rope slides.

1:27:09

Why is she the only person that gets to wear colours?

1:35:48

I don’t… is that how fire works?

1:38:13

Robin has learned nothing about war. “Either all of us make it or none of us do.” That’s not how it works.

1:41:00

Curious about the practicalities of boiling someone in their own piss. Must take months.

1:44:25

Sheriff Two-Face.

Thoughts

So, my goodness. This is a flawed but very, very fun film. I’ll be honest and admit that at about 18 minutes we were very much considering the twenty minute rule. But it gradually got better and better and I got more and more invested.

It’s an odd cast, some very talented people but do they all fit together? I don’t know. And my word, the accents. If it wasn’t for people missing their accents all the time, this would for sure be a five star film.

It feels like this is the start of a cinematic universe - the Robin Hood gang are all getting together and the end certainly felt like they were hoping to spin off to some more sequels. But I don’t think this was very well received, so it wouldn’t surprise me if it ends here and we say no more about it.

There was an odd feel to the movie, where it didn’t quite feel of a time. Obviously Robin Hood is somewhere in the medievals or dark ages or whatnot, but there was rogue lighting that wasn’t candles and leather jackets that weren’t of their time, and so you kind of felt like this could be happening at any moment. Plus, we’re all due a good uprising, so who knows?

As mentioned, there were flaws. The accents, the horses that jump through walls, the fact that only one person was allowed to wear colour, the weird plot holes where Marian knew stuff that she couldn’t possibly have actually known. The cliches. Oof. But still, even with all of that, it was predictable but lovable. I could see all its flaws but I still really enjoyed it.